Internal-combustion engine



H. A. NORDWICK.

INTERNAL comausmm ENGINE.

ARPLICATION HLED NOV. 20. I919.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

2 SHEEN-SHEET I.

INVENTOR. MnzyAJVordvc/c W TTORNEY BYQ 11/1/1111, 1 I 1 z I 4 I r 4 I 9I I I I/ H. A. NORDWICK.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPucAnoN FILED NOV-20,1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

IN VEN TOR.

HezuyA.Mrdwic/c BY Q) E g TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. NORDWICK, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOFRANK SEPPI, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

IN TERNAL-GOMBUSTION Specification of Letters Patent.

ENGINE.

Application filed November 20, 1919. Serial No. 339,279.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY A. NoRnwIoK, acitizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of SanJoaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Internal- Combustion Engines; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the charactersof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion or gasengines, the principal object being to so design and arrange the partsof the engine, partlcularly one of the four cycle type, that eachcylinder will have two power strokes for every revolution of the shaft,so that for the same bore of the cylinders and R. P. M. of the shaft, Iobtain four times the horse power obtained with four cycle engines ofthe ordinary type withan equal number of cylinders, since in this type apower stroke is had only once for every two revolutions of the shaft.

This proportion of power obtains whether I construct a single or amulti-cylinder engine.

A further object is to devise an englne which will take up very littlespace longitudinally, in proportion to the power developed, and inwhich, by certain features of construction, I am enabled to combine theflywheel with the piston and cam. operating means, thus doing away witha separate flywheel, and so cutting down the weight and the total numberof parts used.

I also do away with the expensive forged crankshaft commonly used.

Another object is to produce a simple and relatively inexpensive engine,and yet one which will be exceedingly eflicient in its operation.

The foregoing objects I accomplish by means of such structure andrelative arrangement of parts as will fully appear from a perusal of thefollowing specification and claims.

In the drawings, similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views, in whic F lgure 1 is a front end elevationof my improved engine, half being in section.

Pig. 2 is a cross section taken on a line 2-2 of ig. 1.

I eferring now more particularly to the figures of reference on thedrawings, the numeral 1 denotes a cylindrical casing, preferably spliton a vertical transverse center line for ease of manufacture andassembly, and connected together along this line by bolts 2. This casingis adapted to be mounted, by means of cars 3 projecting from the sides,on suitable supports 4,"such as the frame of automobile, engine bed of aboat, and the Projecting centrally through the casing, and turnable inbearings 5 therein, is a shaft 6 on which inside the casing, are keyed apair of disks 7 arranged in opposed order and spaced apart a certaindistance by reason of their abutting hubs 8 projecting therebetween.Secured to the casing on the outside thereof and positioned radiallyfrom the shaft 6, are cylinders 9, whose center lines are on a vertical.plane bisecting the space between the two disks 7, and which arepreferably positioned at an angle of 45 to each other.

In the present instance I show and describe four cylinders, all mountedabove the.

horizontal center line of the casing, but it will be understood that Imay emplo any number of cylinders from 1 to 8, without changing in anyway the functioning of the engine, or the construction of thecooperating features.

Also, I have shown cylinders having overhead valves, though the L or Thead construction would serve equally as well.

Pistons 10 are mounted in the cylinders, to which pistons are rigidlyconnected rods 11 extending radially in the direction of the shaft 6.The rods are also guided in sleeves 12 formed with or secured to theinner ends of the cylinders, the connecting members of the sleeves ofcourse permitting a free circulation of air therepast, so as not to forma compression space between them and the pistons.

At the lower ends of the rods 11 are transverse pins 13 parallel to theshaft 6, and pro jecting equally on both sides of the rods. On suchpro'ecting ends are rollers 14 adapted to ri e in inclosed cam eyes 15formed in the adjacent faces of t e dlSkS 7.

In orderto fulfil the conditions stated as the principal object of theinvention, that is, obtaining two power strokes for each cylinder forevery revolution of the shaft, the cam rooves, bothof which aresymmetrical, are esigned in the followin manner:

Each groove is substantia lystar-shaped, and has four. oints A adjacentthe outer edge of the disk, and eriually spaced apart, or 90. When therol ers 14 are at such oints in the grooves, the pistons 10 are then intheir to most position in the cylinders. Interme late the high or outerpoints "A are the inner or low points B of the groove, which arepositioned centrally between the points A With the rollers 14 at thesepoints, the pistons are then in their lowermost position in thecylinders, the radial distance between the points A and B being equal ofcourse to the piston stroke.

All eight points are therefore 45 apart about the shaft as an axis,which of course totals 360, or acomfilete circumference.

Therefore, since t e length of a piston stroke is had durin the travelof the piston rod rollers from a high point in the cam to the adjacentlow point, or vice-versa, there will'be eight such tion of the shaft, orin other words, two complete c cles of four strokes each, on which basisall four-cycle engines operate.

Each cylinder has of course intake and exhaust valves 16 and 17respectively, and valve actuating rods 18. and 19 proyecting radiallytoward the casing 1, being operatively connected to tappets 20 and 21slidably and radially mounted in the casing. The tappets have rollers 22thereon riding on the circular surfaces of disks 23 and 24 respectivelyformed inte al with and outside the disks 7 but somew at smaller indiameter than the latter. These disks take the place of the flywheelusually supplied to give momentum and absorb vibration.

Each of the disks 23 and 24 is provided with a pair of came 25 and 26respectively adapted to engage the corresponding tappet roller, since asstated, each cylinder functions twice with every revolution of theshaft.

Each disk must ofcourse be ofsufiicient width to accommodate four suchpairs of cams, transversely, or one air for'the corresponding valve ofeach cy 'nder employed, an -the valve rods and tappets properly almedwith their respective cams, since the time of o ening of the valves ofeach cylinder is di erent.

I feel, however, that the construction strokes for every revolu-- shownWe me a more counterbalanced engine t an by employing the alternatearrangement.

An exhaust manifold 27 may connect all the exhaust ports.

The ignition system of the engine I have not shown, since this may berun from the shaft and timed accordm to the firing strokes of each clinder in t e usual manner.

It will be evi ent that the same principle of 0 eration may be em loyedin an engine of to two cycle ty e, in which case each cylinder will fireour times with every revolution of the shaft, which is still four timesthe power obtainable with such an en ine built in the usual manner.

rom the foregoin description it will be readily seen that I ave roducedsuch a device as substantially ful is the objects of the invention asset forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredembodiment of the invention, still 1n practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted tb as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims. 7

Havin thus described my invention, what I c aim .as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A four cycle gas engine comrising a casin a shaft turnably mounted t erein, a plura ity ofcylinders secured to the casing in radial alinement with the shaft,pistons in the cylinders, spaced disks fixed to the shaft, means formovin the pistons in and out with the rotation o the disks, circularextensions rojecting from the outer faces of the dis S, each c linderhavin valve tappets rojecting ra ially toward 1; e shaft and sli ablymounted in the casing, and each tappet on a side being in ofi'setalinement from-the remainder, and-cams on the extensions positioned tolift each tappet at predetermined periods in the rotation of the disks.

2. A gas engine comprisin a casing, a shaft turnably mounted therein, aplurality of cylinders secured to the casing in radial alinement' withthe shaft and in a common plane at right angles thereto,pistons'in thecylinders, spaced disks fixed to the shaft, means for reciprocating thepistons with the rotation of the disks, valve tappets projecting fromthe valves of each cylinder, and a separate cam for each tappet formedwith the disks and arranged to ift only the corresponding tappet at apredetermined time in the rotation of said disk. In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence, of a witness. i

HENRY A. NORDWICK,

Witness:

BERNARD PBIVAT.

